Speed violation counter



Nov. 13, 1943. A WELCH 2,334,523

SPEED VIOLATION COUNTER Filed 033. 3, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet i E: 4 .56 52$ v C 5: l l l'F Inventor E- a H i FZaIZPJflWEZJfi A ttorney Nov, 16, 1943. w LcH SPEED VIOLAT ION COUNTER Filed Oct. 6, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 j Z p1 i a J J 1 Inventor A Home Patented Nov. 16, 1943 UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE I r v sran 1031:; Charles A. welsh, Hall.

Y ADPIIBIMOII October 1941,80 N0; 418,898 2 Claims. (CL ass-4s) My invention relates to improvements in speed violation counters applicable to rotary elements, and particularly to electrically operated counting means for use on automobiles having speedometers, and the primary object oi my invention is 5 limit, and will similarly electrically engage with to provide an arrangement oi this character in the contact when the speed oi the automobile which the counting mechanism is completely reaches a certain arbitrary point. such as below inaccessible except by a key held by the police, ten-miles perhour, the hand contact] being at and wherein the speedometer operated switch all other positions out of engagement with either mechanism is relatively inaccessible; whereby w of the contacts I and 8. means is provided to furnish the highway'police As indicated in Figure 8 oi the drawings the with proof of the fact that the motorist has speedometer dial H has a hole hushed by an exceeded the speed limit and the iact that the insulating grommet I 2 passing the binding post motorist has exceeded ahigh speed limit a certain bolt II to which the wire II 'is'" connected at dennite number or times. 15 the ac f the al 1 hileitheihead oi the 3, Other :important objects and advantages of bolt iastens on the trout endffo'i the grommet my invention will be apparent irom a reading the hlped Spring contact l. The-contact oi the following description taken in connection I is constructed similarly to the contact 8, the with the appended drawings, wherein tor purterminals of the contactsbeing apgularly d poses of illustration I have shown a preferred go ilected as shown in Figure Ftomake a proper i embodiment of my invention. mmins n wiplna engagement with the curved In t drawings; terminal 0! the hand contact ."I'. The wire il Figure 1 is acontracted front elevational view from the contact 8 as well as the wire It pass of th d vi e as a wh l 7 through a suitably armored conduit II which Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical gs enters the casing l'l oi the counting mechanism sectional view taken through the counting mechwhich is generally designated i8 and which may anism casing to show the internal parts. be located at a point remote from the speed- Figure-3 is a horizontal sectional view taken m ter 5. such as at a diiierent place on the through Figure 2 along the line 3-4 and looking instrument panel orthereunder where the same downwardly in the direction 0! the arrows. 30 may be readily inspected by the highway police. Figure 4 isa iragmentary transverse vertical The casing I! may suitably-be generally recsectional view taken through Figure 2 along the tflngular in form as indicated in the drawings and line H and looking toward the right in the be of relatively shallow depth so as to avoid taking direction of the arrows. g v P muchspace within the automobile. Thesame Figure 5 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical may be conveniently provided with a cover or transverse sectional view taken through Figure 2 door I! hinged as indicatedbynumeral II on a along th lin 5-5, vertical axis and provided with an ear II at the Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary horiaonfree edge thereof to overlap an ear 22 on the castalsectional view taken through Figure 1 along y in: toreceive the headed pin 23 which is adapted the line 6-4 and looking downwardly in the di- 0 to be locked in place by a seal which can be lawrection of the arrows. ly destroy nly y the police to permit access Figure 7 is a schematic view showing the operto the interior oi the casing II. The door It has ative arrangement of the active parts and their in the upper right hand comer thereoi a substanelectrical connections with the automobile batl? ir l r 9m closed by a i le Wintery or other source 01' current. 5 dow 28' which exposes the dial 21 which is sup- Referring in detail to the drawings, the nuported on horizontalLv spacedposts It and 29, meral I generally designates a conventional type spe v y. whi h ar se ured to the back wall or automobile speedometer modified in accorda ll of the casing l as indicated in i r 3 0! the ance with the present invention by the presence drawings. screws ll traversing the disk and hem! on the speedometer hand i of a curved flexible 5o threaded into the post as indicated in Figure 5. spring contact I which is adapted to havewip- A third post 32 projects irom the back wall Ill ing engagement with stationary spring contacts oi, the casing l1 to act as a bearing iorthe tubuand I which are arbitrarily positioned relative. I lar shaft 33 which ha amxed thereto a ratchet to the speed indicating numerals III on the speedwhee 34. A portion o the sh f 33, P jects gg through an opening at the center 01' the disk 21 ometer dial and with reference to the hand contact I while in zero position as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, whereby the contact 8 will be engaged by thehand contact 1 when the automobile reaches and passes the legal high speed and has aflixed thereto the hand II which is in indicating position relative to the circumierentially spaced numerals 3| iormed on the iront oi the disk 21 and exposed by the opening 1|. The numerals II indicate the number oi occasions on which the motorist has exceeded the legal speed limit.

A fourth post 31 also secured to the back wall ill of the casing I1 is located below and to the leit oi the post 28 and it carries I- headed Pin I. which provides a horizontal i'ulcrum ior the ratchet lever 38. The right hand end portion oi the lever it has horizontally pivoted at ti on one end thereof a curved dog ll behind which is operatively positioned a leai spring 42 to-kecp the dog normally swung in the right hand direction and engaged with the teeth oi the ratchet wheel 34, as shown in Figure 2 oi the drawings. The opposite heel end oi the lever 80 is positioned be:- tween vertically adjustable stop screw I and M, respectively, which are mounted on a U-shaped bracket 45 secured to the leit hand end wall oi low speed contact position the hand on the speedometer advances and at the predetermined position oi the high speed registering contact I the speedometer hand contact I engages the contact I, thereby closing an electrical circuit beginning at the speedometer needle ground I, with the current flowing through the contact I, through the contact i, through the wire I! to the lower end oi the winding 54 of the solenoid 52, thereby energizing the lower section 01' the solenoid winding, through the center tap I! to the the casing II, the stops being adjustable to limit the upward and downward swing oi the lever 30.

A horizontal leai spring dog I. is secured on the right vhand wall oi the casing i! as indicated by a the numeral 41 and ithas its upturned iree end engaged with the periphery oi the ratchet wheel 34 to positively eliminate reverse rotatim oi the e,

ratchet wheel.

Horizontally pivoted to the lever 80 intermedi- 4 ate the stopscrews and the iuicrum II is a pair as indicated by the numeral ll the upper end oi a solenoid armature Ii which depends into a solenoid magnet II whichis mounted by a U- emciency the conduit it enters the side wall oi the casing ll adjacent the bracket It so that the wires I5 and It may be connected to the upper and lower ends oi the coil ll oi the solenoid l2, and a center tap II from said coil may be led out through the conduit II to connect with one side oi the car battery it whose remaining side is grounded conventionally as indicated by the numeral 51. The speedometer hand contact, I is similarly grounded in a suitable manner as indicated by the numeral ll. I r

The presence oi the center tap II on the coil 5| oi the solenoid I2 provides a split winding on the solenoid, one hali oi which is eiiective at a time.

As the automobile is accelerated from a speed below that atwhich the contact 0 is engaged, the speedometer hand 8 advances and at the chosen relatively low speed the speedometer hand contact I engages the contact I. and thereby completes an electrical circuit beginning at ground. 58, with the current; flowing through the speedometer needle or hand and its contact I to the contact 8, thence through the wire it to the upper end oi the coil ll oi the solenoid '2, thereby energizing the upper winding oi the solenoid and passing to the tap ll to the battery, I. and its ground. The completion oi this circuit energizes the upper section of the solenoid winding so as to draw the armature or core ll upwardly. This operates the lever il .in one direction to engage its heel and set the dog I behind the shoulder oi a tooth oi the ratchet wheel 34 ready to rotate said wheel when the lever II is operated in the opposite direction.

As the automobile is ungrounded side of the battery I. and through the battery ground to the needle ground ll. The closing oi this circuit causes the armature or core Ii to be drawn downwardly toward the lower section oi the solenoid winding, whereby the lever II is operated in the opposite direction causing the heel end oi the lever a to engage the lower stop screw it and the dog II to engage a ratchet tooth and turn the ratchet wheel a distance oi one ratchet tooth or one notch, thereby causing the hand ll on the register I. to move opposite the numeral 1 thereon and at similar successive actuations to move to indicate a corresponding numeral on the register up to nine the number oi violations oi the high speed limit which have.

taken place since the device was first installed.

' It will e apparent that such violations involve g of links it between whose lower ends is pivoted t exceeding a predetermined high speed limit preceded bv attainment oi a lower limit.

.Aiter the last described action iollowing the 1 closing oi the second circuit described, and the automobile being deceleratcd so that the hand contact, I engages again the stationary contact I, following the breaking oi the last described circuit, the lever ll is retracted to starting position iorthe next speed violation by the utilization oi the upper winding oi the solenoid in the manner already described.

It will be evident irom the ioregoing that I have provided notonly an arrangement ior actuating counting mechanism, but also means ior retracting the actuating agencies by the use oi the solenoid with the split winding, the sections oi which are energizable during diiierent phases oi operative condition oi the device.

It is obvious also iron the ioregoing that the device oi the present inventionissimple, compact, and unobtrusive in size and appearance, and involves no extensive, mutilation oi the speedometer or other fittings orgequlpment oi the automobile, being thereby correspondingly less expensive than othersimilar devices, while being more capable oi being applied to automobiles oi all makes and types Although I have shown and described herein a preierred embodiment oi my invention, it is to be deiinltelyunderstood that I do not wish to limit the applicationoi the invention thereto except as may' be required by the scope oi the subjoined claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

- 1. In a device ior counting the number oi times a rotary element exceeds a designated high speed limit and attains a designated low speed limit,

next actuation, a solenoid. comprising a split winding having a center tap defining a pair oi longitudinally arranged coil sections, a speed responsive vmember operatively connected to said element, said speed responsive member accelerated beyond the is having a movable contactor and a pair oi spaced stationary contacts, one of said contacts being positioned to be engaged by said movable contactor only when said contactor reaches a position corresponding to said designated high speed limit, the other contact being positioned to be engaged by said contactor only in a position corresponding to the lower speed limit, said contacts being connected to the outer ends of the corresponding coil sections and said contactor and ratchet and pawl, the pawl being operative in opposite directions for advance and retraction relative to said ratchet, pawl operating means including a solenoid core movable in opposite directions to advance and retract the pawl, a split solenoid coil including longitudinally consecutive coil sections through which said core extends, said sections being energizable alternately to move said core in opposite directions, respectively, and means to energize said coil sections including a contact carried by said hand, a pair of low and high speed contacts for said sections. respectively, arranged in the path of movement of said first contact to be energized successively thereby under movement of said hand from selected low to selected high speed indicating positions.

CHARLES A. WELCH. 

